Plants
August 31, 2020
Sanah Malomile Nkadimeng, Alice Nabatanzi, Christiaan M.l. Steinmann et al.
66 citations
Extracts from Psilocybe natalensis, a psilocybin-containing mushroom from South Africa, show anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects in lab tests on mouse immune cells. Boiling hot water, cold water, and ethanol extracts all reduced nitric oxide, prostaglandin E2, and interleukin 1β production in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated macrophages in a dose-dependent manner, similar to positive controls quercetin and N-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester. The extracts were safe at the concentrations used. Phytochemical analysis confirmed the presence of natural antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds.
Plants
July 9, 2020
Beatriz Werneck Lopes Santos, Regina Célia de Oliveira, Júlia Sonsin‐oliveira et al.
32 citations
Ayahuasca, a psychoactive brew traditionally made from Banisteriopsis caapi vine and Psychotria viridis leaves, contains β-carboline alkaloids that inhibit monoamine oxidase and the psychedelic N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT). Analyzing 176 plant lianas (159 B. caapi) and 33 ayahuasca samples from Brazilian regions using LC-MS/MS, mean concentrations in B. caapi were 4.79 mg/g harmine, 0.451 mg/g harmaline, and 2.18 mg/g tetrahydroharmine (THH), with high variability (relative standard deviation 78.9–170%). Native samples had significantly higher harmine than cultivated ones; samples from Federal District/Goiás had more THH than those from Acre. Ayahuasca concentrations ranged widely: 0.109–7.11 mg/mL harmine, 0.012–0.945 mg/mL harmaline, 0.09–3.05 mg/mL THH, and 0.10–3.12 mg/mL DMT. Paired samples confirmed harmine reduces to harmaline and THH during brewing. This large study reveals substantial alkaloid variability, challenging standardization for ethnopharmacological research.
Plants
January 11, 2023
Ilana Berlowitz, Ernesto García Torres, Caroline Maake et al.
14 citations
In the Peruvian Amazon, Nicotiana rustica (mapacho) is traditionally ingested as a liquid medicine for mental health treatment, contrasting with harmful global tobacco use. A 37-year-old woman with mood, anxiety, attention deficit, and a chronic somatic condition participated in a weeklong retreat led by a traditional healer, involving ritual tobacco ingestion. Experience-sampling during treatment and symptom assessments before and after indicated clinically relevant improvements in well-being. This case study documents the therapeutic process and suggests potential benefits of traditional tobacco use, aligning with renewed scientific interest in psychoactive plants for therapy.
Plants
August 27, 2024
Verónica S. Lema
3 citations
A species known for its psychoactive properties was widely used by pre-Hispanic peoples in the southern Andean area. Despite assumptions that its use became scarce after the Spanish conquest, an updated overview based on literature review and ethnobotanical research in markets across Argentina, Bolivia, and Peru affirms the continuity of its use. Results show significant diversity in usage types, plant parts used, treatments, and conditions, along with new vernacular names. The paper interprets this from Andean logic, highlighting the current therapeutic effectiveness of the seeds through movements that restore health.